Fluid-actuated hoist.



A. J. HANSON. rum) ACTUATED' HOIST.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB. 1915. 1,198,216. Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

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i I w 1m. nuRRrs rsnms no" Inom urNn. wAsmwmm u a UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

ALBERT JARVIS HANSON, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO CURTIS & CO. MFG. 00.,

FLUID-ACTUATED HOIST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Application filed August 18, 1915. Serial No. 46,209.

0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT J. HANSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, Maine, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Actuated Hoists, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fluid-actuated hoists, and has for its main object to provide a hoist which is so constructed that the piston of same will reciprocate automatically through a portion of its stroke when the device that controls the operation of the hoist is actuated in a certain manner.

Another object is to provide a fluid-actuated hoist that can be used in the ordinary manner for raising and lowering objects and which comprises means under control of the operator in charge of the hoist for causing the object suspended from the hoist to be reciprocated automatically in a vertical path, a distance less than the stroke of the piston of the hoist, thereby producing an apparatus that is particularly adapted for use on a trolley to convey an object to a dipping tank that contains a substance in which the said object has to be agitated while immersed, or dipped a number of times.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectional view of a fluid-actuated hoist constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the controlling valve and the casing in which it is mounted. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the controlling valve; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2, showing the controlling valve in position to raise the piston of the hoist. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the controlling valve in position to lower the piston of the hoist. Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the controlling valve in position to cause the piston of the hoist to automatically reciprocate;' and Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on line 1010 of Fig. 9.

I have herein illustrated my invention embodied in a single acting air hoist, namely, a hoist of the type in which the stufiing box end of the cylinder is subjected to pressure to cause the piston rod to move lnwardly, and pressure is exhausted to cause the piston rod to move outwardly, the opposite end of the cylinder being in communication with the atmosphere. I wish it to be understood, however, that my invention is not limited to a hoist of the particular type mentioned, as my broad idea is applicable to various types of fluid-actuated hoists.

Briefly stated, my invention consists in a fluid-actuated hoist that will perform the usual hoisting and lowering functions, a valve for controlling the operation of the hoist, and mechanism whereby the piston of the hoist will reciprocate automatically through a portion of its stroke when said valve is moved to a certain position. In the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated the controlling valve is adapted to be actuated manually and the mechanism which efl'ects the automatic reciprocation of the piston comprises devices controlled by the piston which admit the operating fluid to and from the cylinder of the hoist, but the automatic reciprocation of the piston could be effected in various other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the cylinder of the hoist which, if desired, may be suspended from an overhead trolley B and C designates the piston which is provided with a piston rod 1 that projects downwardly through a stufiing box in the lower end of the cylinder. A controlling valve 2, which is arranged in a valve casing 3, permits air or other fluid under pressure to flow from a supply pipe 4 into a pipe 5 that leads to the lower end of the cylinder when said valve is in a certain position, thus causing the piston to move upwardly, and when said valve is in another position the pressure that was admitted to the cylinder escapes therefrom through the pipe 5 to an exhaust pipe 6 that leads from the valve casing 3, thus permitting the piston to move downwardly.

The pipe 5 is provided with a speed regulating device 31 of any suitable type for varying the area of the admission and exhaust openings of the hoist, so as to control the speeds of the hoisting and lowering motions of the hoist. The particular construction of said device is immaterial, as far as my invention is concerned, but I prefer to use a speed controlling device of the type illustrated and described in U. S. Patent #810,876, granted to George F. Steedman and dated January 8, 1907.

The particular construction of the controlling valve 2 and the valve casing 3 is also immaterial, so far as my broad idea is con cerned. In the form of my invention herein shown said valve consists of a disk that is rotatably mounted in the valve casing 3 and which is provided. near its periphery with an opening '7 and on one side thereof with a pocket 8. The valve casing ,8 is shown as being made up of two sections, one of said sections in which the valve 2 is mounted being provided with a chamber 9 into which the supply pipe 4 leads, and the other section of the casing being provided with a plurality of ports or ducts that connect with. pipes that lead from said casing. As shown in Fig. 2, the valve 2 is provided with a stem 10 that projects through a stuffing box in the .casing, said stem being provided with the usual operating arm 11 at the outer end thereof.

hen the arm 11 is in the horizontal or neutral position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the hoist is inoperative, that is, all communication between the pipe 5 and the supply pipe 4 or the exhaust pipe 6 is cut oil. If, however, the arm 11 is moved in a direction to cause the valve 2 to assume the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the opening 7 in said valve will aline with a port 12 in the valve casing 3 that communicates with the pipe 5, and thus permit the fluid under pressure to escape from the chamber 9 through the opening 7 in the valve 2, the port 12 and pipe 5 so as to enter the cylinder A beneath the piston and force the same upwardly. If the arm 11 is moved in the 0pposite direction so as to cause the valve 2 to assume the position shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the opening 7 therein will be moved away from the port 12 and thus cut off communication between said port and the chamber 9, and the pocket 8 in the valve 2 will lie over said port 12, so that the compressed fluid under the piston will return through the pipe 5, port 12 and pocket 8 to a port 13 that communicates with the exhaust pipe 6, thus permitting the piston C to descend by gravity in the cylinder A. The means for causing the piston G to reciprocate in the cylinder A when desired is also controlled by the valve arm 11, that is, whenever it is desired to cause said piston to re ciprocate, the arm 11 is moved to a certain position so that when the piston reaches a certain point in its downward travel it will actuate means which will cause it to automatically start on its upward stroke, and when it has reached a certain point in its upward travel, it will cause means to be actuated which will automatically reverse the piston movement without any manipulation of the valve 2. This reciprocating movement may be accomplished in various ways, without departing from the spirit of my invention. In the embodiment of my invention herein shown a cylinder D is arranged adjacent the cylinder A, and provided with a double-ended piston 14 which carries a. slide valve 15 that cooperates With ports 16 and 17, the port 16 being connected by means of a pipe 18 to a port 19 in the valve casing 3, and the port 17 being connected by means of a pipe 20 to the pipe A short pipe 21 leads from one end of the cylinder D to the interior of the cylinder A, and a pipe 22 leads from the opposite end of said cylinder D to a port 23 that is controlled by a slide valve 21 arranged in a valve chamber 25. A pipe 26 leads from a port 27 in the valve casing 3 to the intermediate portion of the cylinder D, said intermediate portion forming a valve chamber for the valve 15, and a branch 28 connects the pipe 26 with the valve casing 2". The valve 21 that cooperates with the port 23 is controlled by a plunger rod 29 that is provided with an enlarged rounded head 30 that projects into the lower portion of the cylinder A, suitable packing being provided so that the fluid under pressure in said cylinder cannot escape past said plunger.

Vhcnever it is desired to cause the piston (l to reciprocate, as, for example, when a batch of castings has been transported from one point in a foundry to a pickling bath where said casting are to be dipped in the solution several times, the valve arm 11 is moved to the position shown in Figs. 9 and 10, when the hoist is in proper position over the pickling vat. This position of the arm 11 places the disk valve 2 in such a position that the opening 7 therein alines with the port 27 and an extension 8 of the pocket 8 alines with the port 19. The piston C will now descend in the same manner as when the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 6, wherein the pocket 8 alines with the port 12, owing to the fact that the fluid under pressure in the cylinder A will travel outwardly from said cylinder through the pipes 5, 20 and 18 to the port 19, pocket 8 and thence outwardly through the exhaust pipe 6. hen the piston reaches a certain position in its downward travel a conical shoulder 31 on the piston rod 1 will engage the plunger head 30 and force the same outwardly, thus causing the slide valve 24: to uncover the port. 23. As previously stated,

the opening 7 of the disk valve 2 is in alinement with the port 27, consequently, the fluid under pressure in the chamber 3 will pass through said opening and port into the pipe 26 and pipe 28 to the slide valve chamber so that when the slide valve 21 uncovers the port 23, the fluid under pressure will enter the pipe 22 and force the piston 14 to the left, thus uncovering the port '17 in the cylinder D and permitting the fluid under pressure from the pipe 26 to enter the pipe 20, and thence through the pipe 5 to the lower end of the cylinder A, thus forcing the piston C upwardly. IV hen said piston has been moved upwardly far enough to uncover the pipe 21 which communicates with said cylinder A, the fluid under pressure beneath said piston will enter said pipe 21 and force the double-ended pis ton 11 to the right, or to the position shown in the drawing, when the port 17 will be cut off from communication with the supply of fluid under pressure and put into communication with the pipe 18 which leads to the exhaust pipe 6, so that the piston will descend and the fluid under pressure will be exhausted through the pipes 5, 20, 1S and 6, as previously described. As soon as the piston C reaches such a position in its downward travel that the conical shoulder 31 again comes into contact with the plunger head 30, the cycle of operations just described will be repeated and continue until the valve arm 11 is moved to a different position from that shown in Fig. 9. Then the conical shoulder 31 leaves the plunger head 30, a spring 32 restores said plunger head to the position shown in the drawings, and moves the valve 21 to such a position that the pipe 22 is in communication with an exhaust port 33, thus allowing the fluid in the cylinder D to exhaust through the pipe 22 whenever the piston 1% is moved to the right by the pressure of the fluid in the cylinder A entering the cylinder I) through the pipe 21.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised a fluid-actuated hoist that performs the usual functions of raising and lowering, and which, when desired, for certain purposes, may be caused to automaticallv reciprocate.

The degree of movement of the reciprocating stroke heretofore described is immaterial, so far as my broad idea is concerned, and is, of course, governed by the relative positions of the plunger head 30 and the pipe 21.

The means herein described for causing the piston 1 to automatically reciprocate is simply illustrative of one arrangement of parts to bring about the desired result, and I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement shown and described, as

the same result could be obtained in various other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, since What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent, is:

1. A portable fluid-actuated hoist provided with a manually operated valve that is adapted to be moved into twodifferent positions to control the usual hoisting and lowering functions of the hoist, and means that is rendered operative by the move ment of said valve to still another position for causing the piston of said hoist to automatically reciprocate.

2. A fluid-actuated hoist provided with a manually operated valve, means whereby when said valve is in one position, the piston of the hoist is caused to move upwardly, means whereby when said valve is in another position the piston is permitted to descend, and means whereby when said valve is in still another position, the piston of the hoist is caused to reciprocate automatically.

3. In a fluid-actuated hoist, a piston, a valve which when in one position controls means for causing the piston to rise, when in another position controls means for permitting the piston to lower, and when in still another position controls means for rendering operative other means controlled by the piston of the hoist for causing said piston to automatically reciprocate when it reaches a certain. point in its downward travel.

1. In a portable fluid-actuated hoist, means for causing the piston of the hoist to move in one direction, means for permitting the piston to move in the opposite direction, means for causing said piston to automatically reciprocate, and a single valve for governing all of said means said valve being adapted to be moved toa certain position and remain stationary while the piston is reciprocating.

5. In a fluid-actuated hoist, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a valve adapted to be moved into two different positions for controlling the admission and discharge of fluid under pressure to said cylinder so as to cause the piston to move in one direction or the other, and cooperating devices on said cylinder and piston for causing said piston to reciprocate automatically, said devices being rendered operative when said valve is in still another position.

6. In a fluid-actuated hoist, a cylinder, a piston, a valve casing arranged adjacent said cylinder, a valve in said valve casing, a pipe leading from a supply of fluid under pressure to one side of said valve, a conduit leading from the other side of said valve to the lower end of said cylinder, an exhaust pipe in said valve casing, means on said valve for establishing communication between said supply pipe and said conduit when said valve is in one position so as to raise the piston, means for establishing communication between said exhaust pipe and said conduit when said valve is in another position so as to lower the piston, a branch passageway leading from said conduit to said valve casing, a valve in said passage way for controlling the direction of flow of the fluid under pressure, means on said first mentioned valve for rendering said second mentioned valve operative, and cooperating means on the piston and cylinder for automatically actuating said second mentioned valve at certam polnts 1n 1ts up and down strokes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto allix my signature in the presence of two witnesses (1115 2 day of August 1915.

ALBERT JARVIS HANSON.

lVitnesses lVALLAon E. PimsoNs, GEORGE L. FREEMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). Ci 

